Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 24, 1993 TAG: 9303240135
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
HOKIES DROP JMU FOOTBALL SERIES DISCONTINUED
Virginia Tech's football team will be looking for a new season-opening opponent after the Hokies dropped a series against Division I-AA James Madison that was scheduled through 1999.Tech athletic director Dave Braine said Tuesday that the Big East Football Conference asked its members not to play Division I-AA schools, which hurt schedule strength and do not count toward the six victories necessary to be eligible for a bowl bid.
Tech asked JMU to exit the series and the Dukes agreed.
However, the teams will play their scheduled game in 1994. Braine said Tech and JMU had agreed that either team could get out of the series without paying off the other; however, he said Tech will pay JMU a $125,000 guarantee in '94 instead of the agreed-upon $70,000.
"When you're playing a I-AA," Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese said, "you're down to 10 games [that count toward bowl eligibility], and when you're playing the people [Tech is] playing, that could be the difference in getting in a bowl game or not."
JMU gave Tech a season-opener that, theoretically, would draw well and provide Tech a probable victory. The Hokies lead the all-time series 4-0. Tech coach Frank Beamer often had been asked if playing a I-AA was a good idea and always said he liked the JMU series.
"It was an in-state game, we were dealing with good people and, from that standpoint, it's tough to see it go," Beamer said. "But the fact that you're working on bowl possibilities within the framework of a conference, certainly you want to do what's best there."
James Madison coach Rip Scherer said he will miss the season-opening trip to Blacksburg.
"My kids enjoy the game and so do I," Scherer said. "It gives us a measuring stick, even if we're a little overmatched. I think [Tech] would have liked to continue playing, too, but I understand that it's beyond their control. I wanted to accommodate them."
Tranghese said after '94, no Big East school has a I-AA team on its schedule through 2000.
Braine said North Carolina State or Akron or "a combination of both" probably will replace JMU.